


The Masks We Wear

by CelyntheRaven



Series: The Shadow and the Spy [6]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 02:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13401195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelyntheRaven/pseuds/CelyntheRaven
Summary: After the events on Copero, Khessya seeks solitude to shelter her pain once more.





	The Masks We Wear

Khessya made her way into the temple ruins, letting her fingers brush the mossy stones eaten by age and her thoughts roam freely.

She had found her way to Yavin 4 once more. Another trip down memory lane and introspection, merely weeks after the events of Umbara.

She sighed as she reached the spot she knew her feet would lead her to, the spot where they were always leading her to. The long forgotten ruin that had sheltered a stolen peaceful moment she had shared with Theron all those years ago.

Theron…

Theron whom she had finally found only to lose him again in a moment. Theron who had become a stranger, who hadn’t even blinked at the sight of her on Copero, who hadn’t even said a word to her. His indifference had lit an insatiable fire in her heart, a voracious pain running through her veins.

She let her forehead rest on the cold stone in an attempt to soothe her sorrow, clenching her fists to stop her hands from shaking. Tears ran on her cheeks as she remembered the moment she had woken up here, her head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, offering a safety and comfort she had never known she craved.

She let herself slid down to the ground as a new wave of pain engulfed her, giving in to her grief for as long as she would need to. In the solitude of the jungle moon she could afford to drop the mask, to appear as wounded and broken as she felt. She was nothing here; not the Alliance Commander, not a Jedi, barely even Khessya, just a woman with a broken heart and too many tears to hold.

***

Theron put his shuttle on auto-pilot and finally allowed himself to relive the events that had happened on Copero.

It had hurt to see her again, much more than he had prepared himself for. She hadn’t changed at all; the same quiet determination, the same unassailable will, the same angry yet adorable frown on her face. But he knew better. He could see it in her eyes as they briefly met his. An ocean of pain, anger and confusion behind the serene mask. And it was all because of him.

He clenched his teeth, funneling his guilt into a stubborn anger. The Order of Zildrog had given him no choice but to hurt her and they were going to regret it. And one day maybe, she would be able to forgive him.

***

Only when the last of her tears had dried did she managed to put a semblance of order in her thoughts and focus on that one little stray of hope she was holding on to without even realizing it.

 _No, you’ll never win!_  His voice had broken then, tainting his words with both hope and despair. And she couldn’t help but wonder…

What if he hadn’t been wearing a mask for all those years but was wearing one  _now?_ What if all this was nothing but the ruse of a spy pretending to betray her to better protect her?  _I’d do anything to protect you._  It was a long shot, and more than probably wishful thinking but she couldn’t help but hope.

A beep from her holo-communicator signaling an incoming written transmission from Hylo Visz interrupted her train of thoughts. She got up and headed back to her shuttle. Hylo knew better than to disturb her for anything less than an emergency right now, it had to be important.

She took a deep breath and opened the message.

> Don’t know how they pulled it off but my contacts managed to intercept a fragment of a transmission sent to Theron’s shuttle. Thought you’d want to see the transcript.  
>  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:  
>  >> I held up my end of the bargain. Now it’s your turn. Will this really work?  
>  >> You have no need to worry. The Eternal Alliance and its Commander will be destroyed.  
>  >> The Order of Zildrog will prevail.  
>  END TRANSCRIPT.  
>  That’s all they could grab before the transmission cut out. But at least we have a name. Just wish we knew what it meant.

Khessya allowed herself to hope, to believe. Too many things felt off for this to be a coincidence. So she would fight through the pain and trust her feelings one last time. For better or worse.


End file.
